This paper considers the development of a strategic energy body in a local authority in the UK and looks at the perceived need for, and possible roles of, such a body. Historically, energy provision ...and management has not usually been a strategic priority for UK local authorities. Yet energy considerations are implicit in key local authority responsibilities such as transport, waste management, planning, and the provision of housing services. In addition, recent UK central government policies support the move to localism and provide incentives for low-carbon energy generation. A study was undertaken to assess the potential (including both the perceived benefits and actual capacity to deliver) for Leeds City Council to develop a strategic body to execute delivery of city-level energy decision-making. We examine the perceived benefits to a range of main stakeholders, using data drawn from interviews with managers responsible for low-carbon and renewable energy projects across the city. Through participant observation we explore the capacity of a local authority to deliver a strategic energy body, and we briefly examine the possible forms of delivery. We conclude with recommendations for national policy that would enable the development of strategic energy bodies across local governments in the UK.
► Strategic energy planning is currently not a priority for UK local authorities. ► We present an empirical study of strategic energy planning in local authorities. ► Results from stakeholder interviews suggest support for a strategic energy body. ► We identify the capacity barriers to implementing a strategic energy body. ► We make recommendations for ways forward and support needed from national policy.
AIRS thermal infrared radiance data are used with a fast infrared scattering radiative transfer model to physically retrieve the dust column amount and dust height over both ocean and land. The ...retrieved optical depths are compared against those retrieved using visible and ultraviolet instruments on the A‐Train, while dust layer heights are evaluated against lidar data. The synergistic use of AIRS data is explored by using dust layer heights constrained by CALIPSO retrievals and coarse mode particle sizes over ocean from PARASOL. Optical depths from AIRS correlate well with those from other instruments over ocean (R ≥ 0.9) and are lower over land when compared to MODIS Deep Blue and OMI retrievals (R ≤ 0.8). AIRS‐derived dust top heights compare favorably with CALIPSO data and can be used to improve OMI optical depth retrievals over a much larger area than CALIPSO can provide. AIRS data can also provide estimates of dust longwave radiative forcing. For the examples examined here, the forcings are estimated to be about +1.5 and +4.5 W/m2 per unit visible optical depth over ocean and land, respectively, compared to a shortwave forcing estimate of −50 W/m2 over ocean. AIRS dust retrievals are possible day or night, can provide dust column amount information over land or ocean, and are unaffected by areas of the oceans covered by sun glint.
Tumorigenesis is a multistep process characterized by a myriad of genetic and epigenetic alterations. Identifying the causal perturbations that confer malignant transformation is a central goal in ...cancer biology. Here we report an RNAi-based genetic screen for genes that suppress transformation of human mammary epithelial cells. We identified genes previously implicated in proliferative control and epithelial cell function including two established tumor suppressors,
TGFBR2 and
PTEN. In addition, we uncovered a previously unrecognized tumor suppressor role for REST/NRSF, a transcriptional repressor of neuronal gene expression. Array-CGH analysis identified
REST as a frequent target of deletion in colorectal cancer. Furthermore, we detect a frameshift mutation of the
REST gene in colorectal cancer cells that encodes a dominantly acting truncation capable of transforming epithelial cells. Cells lacking REST exhibit increased PI(3)K signaling and are dependent upon this pathway for their transformed phenotype. These results implicate REST as a human tumor suppressor and provide a novel approach to identifying candidate genes that suppress the development of human cancer.
An overview of the AIRS radiative transfer model Strow, L.L.; Hannon, S.E.; De Souza-Machado, S. ...
IEEE transactions on geoscience and remote sensing,
02/2003, Letnik:
41, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The two main elements of the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder radiative transfer algorithm (AIRS-RTA) are described in this paper: 1) the fast parameterization of the atmospheric transmittances that are ...used to perform the AIRS physical retrievals and 2) the spectroscopy used to generate the parameterized transmittances. We concentrate on those aspects of the spectroscopy that are especially relevant for temperature and water vapor retrievals. The AIRS-RTA is a hybrid model in that it parameterizes most gases on a fixed grid of pressures, while the water optical depths are parameterized on a fixed grid of water amounts. Water vapor, ozone, carbon monoxide, and methane profiles can be varied, in addition to the column abundance of carbon dioxide.
Genomic alterations shape cell phenotypes and the structure of tumor ecosystems in poorly defined ways. To investigate these relationships, we used imaging mass cytometry to quantify the expression ...of 37 proteins with subcellular spatial resolution in 483 tumors from the METABRIC cohort. Single-cell analysis revealed cell phenotypes spanning epithelial, stromal and immune types. Distinct combinations of cell phenotypes and cell-cell interactions were associated with genomic subtypes of breast cancer. Epithelial luminal cell phenotypes separated into those predominantly impacted by mutations and those affected by copy number aberrations. Several features of tumor ecosystems, including cellular neighborhoods, were linked to prognosis, illustrating their clinical relevance. In summary, systematic analysis of single-cell phenotypic and spatial correlates of genomic alterations in cancer revealed how genomes shape both the composition and architecture of breast tumor ecosystems and will enable greater understanding of the phenotypic impact of genomic alterations.
Comparisons between observed AIRS radiances and radiances computed from coincident in situ profile data are used to validate the accuracy of the AIRS radiative transfer algorithm (RTA) used in ...version 4 processing at Goddard Space Flight Center. In situ data sources include balloon‐borne measurements with RS‐90 sensors and frost point hygrometers and Raman lidar measurements of atmospheric water vapor. Estimates of the RTA accuracy vary with wave number region but approach 0.2 K in mid‐ to lower‐tropospheric temperature and water vapor sounding channels. Temperature channel radiance biases using ECMWF forecast/analysis products are shown to be essentially identical to those observed with coincident sonde observations, with somewhat higher biases in water vapor channels. Some empirical adjustments to the RTA channel‐averaged absorption coefficients were required to achieve these stated accuracies.
In many countries, abortions at 20 weeks and over for indications other than fetal or maternal medicine are difficult to access due to legal restrictions and limited availability of services. The ...Abortion and Contraception Service at the Royal Women's Hospital in Victoria, Australia is the only service in the state that provides this service. The views and experiences of these abortion providers can give insight into the experiences of staff and women and the abortion system accessibility. The aim of this study was to examine health providers' perceptions and experiences of providing abortion care at 20 weeks and over for indications other than fetal or maternal medicine, as well as enablers and barriers to this care and how quality of care could be improved in one hospital in Victoria, Australia.
A qualitative study was conducted at the Abortion and Contraception Service at the Royal Women's Hospital. Participants were recruited by convenience and purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted one-on-one with participants either online or in-person. A reflexive thematic analysis was performed.
In total, 17 healthcare providers from medicine, nursing, midwifery, social work and Aboriginal clinical health backgrounds participated in the study. Ultimately, three themes were identified: 'Being committed to quality care: taking a holistic approach', 'Surmounting challenges: being an abortion provider is difficult', and 'Meeting external roadblocks: deficiencies in the wider healthcare system'. Participants felt well-supported by their team to provide person-centred and holistic care, while facing the emotional and ethical challenges of their role. The limited abortion workforce capacity in the wider healthcare system was perceived to compromise equitable access to care.
Providers of abortion at 20 weeks and over for non-medicalised indications encounter systemic enablers and barriers to delivering care at personal, service delivery and healthcare levels. There is an urgent need for supportive policies and frameworks to strengthen and support the abortion provider workforce and expand provision of affordable, acceptable and accessible abortions at 20 weeks and over in Victoria and in Australia more broadly.
A holistic understanding of tissue and organ structure and function requires the detection of molecular constituents in their original three-dimensional (3D) context. Imaging mass cytometry (IMC) ...enables simultaneous detection of up to 40 antigens and transcripts using metal-tagged antibodies but has so far been restricted to two-dimensional imaging. Here we report the development of 3D IMC for multiplexed 3D tissue analysis at single-cell resolution and demonstrate the utility of the technology by analysis of human breast cancer samples. The resulting 3D models reveal cellular and microenvironmental heterogeneity and cell-level tissue organization not detectable in two dimensions. 3D IMC will prove powerful in the study of phenomena occurring in 3D space such as tumor cell invasion and is expected to provide invaluable insights into cellular microenvironments and tissue architecture.
Satellite retrievals of environmental parameters can enable a global scale understanding of various atmospheric phenomena. Validation of these retrievals using in situ and other correlative ...measurements is critical to the success of our accurate interpretation of such phenomena. In this paper, we analyze the effect of dust on AIRS and IASI operational level 2 profiles using data obtained from the 2009–2011 AEROSE campaigns. We find that the presence of dust in the AIRS and IASI measurements biases the cloud‐cleared radiances by as much as 4 K. In addition, we find that the temperature and surface temperature retrievals resultant from these cloud‐cleared radiances show 2 to 3 K spurious oscillations throughout the troposphere.
Key Points
AIRS and IASI temperature retrievals are biased in the presence of mineral dust
Regression operator is the likely cause of the spurious profile oscillations
Cloud cleared radiances show evidence of dust aerosol contamination
Infrared dust spectral signatures from AIRS DeSouza-Machado, S. G.; Strow, L. L.; Hannon, S. E. ...
Geophysical research letters,
February 2006, Letnik:
33, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on board NASA's Aqua satellite platform is a hypersectral IR temperature and humidity sounder for numerical weather prediction and climate change studies. We ...use the rich spectral information available in the AIRS thermal infrared radiances to study the spectral signatures of dust over ocean for four case studies, and to retrieve dust optical depths using a fast two‐stream radiative transfer model. Retrieved optical depths for one case, a dust storm spreading over the Eastern Mediterranean in October 2002, are compared with visible imagery and MODIS optical depth retrievals. This work represents a preliminary step to removing the effects of dust on the retrieval of temperature and water vapor from the AIRS measurements.
PDF
